Painted Desert

The Painted Desert is a desert of badlands in the Four Corners area of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. It was named during Francisco Vazquez de Coronado's 1540 quest to find the Seven Cities of Cibola, during which he had sent an expedition to the Colorado River to resupply him. They named the desert the Desierto Pintado due to its wondrous colors, and it is known for its mixture of red, brown, orange, green, and other colors (such as white during the winter).